Online play became a lifeline for many who were isolated during the pandemic — including members of the Space Force and Marines, who have taken gaming to the next level with joint competitions and fundraisers.

Some veterans-turned-gamers have benefitted from military service.

“The time I spent in the Air Force gave me a lot of discipline that I didn’t have before,” D’Juan “Deejay Knight” Irvin, an Air Force veteran-turned full-time streamer, told Military Times.

Irvin was a senior airman serving with security forces when he decided it was time for a switch. He is now a Shorty award nominee and founder of the gaming news site GAMINGtruth.

Speaking to veterans, Irvin says, “if streaming is something you are considering, start while you are in the military.”

To all veterans who are considering full-time streaming, Knight stressed the importance of community. A 2018 study found that video games help veterans with mental health challenges such as PTSD by connecting them with others and creating meaningful relationships and even jobs.

Top-tier streamers can make anywhere between $100,000 to $200,000 per month, according to StreamerFacts.

“To try and do this full time without a community is impossible,” he said. “You need a community that follows you.”

Another veteran, Michael Hervieux, is making significant headway in the esports realm. A former specialist in the US Army, he is now the head coach for Valorant at the Esports Tower and a major player in streaming.

“I love it”, Hervieux said. “Every day I show up with a smile on my face. It’s the coolest the job I’ve had outside the Army.”

The structure and veterans program at Full Sail University allowed Hervieux pursue his passion: gaming.

“While I was at Full Sail all the veterans there helped me a lot. Talking with them and seeing that they had similar experiences brought me back to that brothership I had while I was in the Army which helped me get back into video games.”

Hervieux’s way of continuing to serve his community after leaving the military has been through training aspiring players, helping them land scholarships and even slots on top-tier esports teams.

Hervieux went through some of the struggles that other veterans have upon leaving the service. His advice to other veterans is to find support and take opportunities when they come.

“First of all — you are not in it alone”, Hervieux said. “I thought I was in it alone and it hurt me. Just remember we all hit that dark spot. I hit it. I struggled with it. The best thing I did was reach out. There is someone out there who can get help you get to a better place.”

Irvin and Hervieux are both optimistic about the future of gaming and esports.

“The streaming world is going to grow- there is no question about that. There is so much possibility for joy and entertainment,” Irvin said.

Hervieux added, “I see this getting bigger than the NFL.”

The ribbon-cutting ceremony ties in with the DHS’s 2021 Pride Month theme of “Not a Straight Line: The Ebbs and Flows of Progress.”

In accordance, seven DHS members, Chief Michelle Duty, Cdr. Royce James, Ph.D., Lt. John Mack, Petty Officer Derek Smith, Lt. Junior Grade Caleb Tvrdy, Prof. Alex Waid, Ph.D., and Cdr. Kimberly Young-McLear, Ph.D., have been recognized for founding DHS Spectrum — an anti-racist, multicultural, intersectional, and diverse employee association that exists to create and promote “Healthy to Innovate” work environments where all employees can thrive.

“Our purpose is to ensure that everyone can be their authentic selves in the workplace by creating safe spaces for people to serve and work genuinely while also educating others, including allies, on how to actually build these working environments… so everyone can thrive,” Young-McClear told Military Times.

This ribbon cutting ceremony celebrates the group’s progress over the past two years.

DHS Spectrum was founded in May 2019 when these seven members organized a gathering of Coast Guard members for a Pride March.

This resulted in the largest gathering of Coast Guard personnel, with more than 150 Coast Guard cadets and employees of all ranks, marching in New York City.

That day marked the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, where LGBTQIAP+ supporters first advocated for human rights against police brutality at Stonewall Inn.

Every year since, people across nation have come together to acknowledge the historical violence against the LGBTQIAP+ community, identify where change is needed and celebrate the progress made.

The founders of DHS Spectrum hope to continue this legacy. Despite high turnout at the march, the co-founders believe more education is necessary within the LGBTQIAP+ community, as well as for allies.

Over the next two years, the co-founders of DHS Spectrum have created an open and safe community where all are welcomed as their authentic selves. This community has grown to more than 500 members and five geographic chapters, including Alameda, Houston-Galveston, San Diego, Alaska and New Orleans.

This year’s ceremony marked the official launch into the Department of Homeland Security and a commemoration of the group’s effort.

The ribbon was cut at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., with keynote speaker DHS Deputy Chief Human Capitol Officer, Mr. Roland Edwards.

“This is an engaging time for folks to network and mingle and create the tone for how we operate in the Spectrum, which is to take care of one another as a family and always let each other know we are valued and deserve to live and work as our authentic selves,” Young-McClear said. “We think we are onto something really amazing, really good. Working with the DHS allows us a bigger platform to reach out to more people.”

Fellow cofounder, Waid, believes that Spectrum builds community.

“What most excites me about Spectrum is the safety it affords,” he said. “Whenever we are together, it feels like a family reunion. That doesn’t mean everything is 100% perfect all the time, it means that it’s okay when it’s not, because we care about one another and the organization so deeply. We can be fully authentic, we care about one another, we can work together toward our individual and collective successes without putting on any ‘armor.’ In fact, when we get together, we can and we do take off whatever ‘armor’ we walked into the space wearing, knowing that we are in a community of safety, support, and love. It’s really pretty amazing.”

The Spectrum community welcomes people who are dealing with the stigma of HIV/AIDS, are questioning their own gender identity or sexual orientation, survivors of all forms of violence and those that are dealing with isolation from racism, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia.